'You don't go into sevens for the money... the guys at the top of the Scotland set-up will be on £35k'
Mark Robertson is anxious. Not about his coaching, corporate speaking or his television commentary on the Sevens World Series, but the introductory speech he’s going to have to deliver – in French – in about two months’ time.
A former winger in XVs, a pillar of the Scotland Sevens and their wonderful transformation, and an Olympic silver medallist with Britain in 2016, Robertson is off to Clermont. There, he will join the strength and conditioning staff of the French juggernaut on a two-year contract.
That leaves him somewhere in the region of eight weeks to craft that all-important first impression. “Je m’appelle, Mark, et j’adore le seevins” ain’t going to cut it.
“I’ll have to stand up and tell them a bit about me and try and be a little bit comical. That should be easy enough given the fact I’ll be struggling with the old French,” said Robertson to RugbyPass.
“I’ve actually got a mate over coaching the Chinese Women’s Sevens and he spent three or four years in France. I’m going to send the speech over in English and he’s going to send it back in French. I’ll have to put it in Google translate to make sure there are no dodgy things in there – I don’t trust him.”
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Robertson always has been one to plough his own furrow. After retiring in 2017, he was assigned to work with the academy players of Scotland’s Borders region and actually spent over a year training the national team. Then, he promptly resigned from Gregor Townsend’s staff.
“Everybody was like, ‘You’re a numpty doing that’, but I knew it was right because I wanted to focus more on the one job,” he explained. “As a player, I didn’t have the management skills to be able to do two things at once and I didn’t think I was doing either that well.
“And also, it looks glamorous when you’re doing the national team stuff but really, when they go into camp, physically, it’s the most stressful experience they are ever exposed to. The training intensity is higher than they have ever done and the match intensity is higher than any normal week-to-week intensity.
#Officiel Mark Robertson 🏴 rejoint le staff sportif des « jaune et bleu » en tant que préparateur physique. #YellowArmy
👉https://t.co/UNcc42ANo2 pic.twitter.com/nI5mPK3U6t— ASM Rugby (@ASMOfficiel) April 30, 2019
“So all you’re trying to do in the gym is give them a low-risk stimulus that gives them a bit of a placebo that makes them think they are getting faster and stronger. But really you’re trying to minimise risk, maintain the levels of they have already got and manage that load to prevent injury as much as possible. You couldn’t really try things because the risk was too high.”
The attraction for Clermont in recruiting Robertson is obvious – they get a skilled operator who focuses on the sort of explosive footwork and high intensity fare that is becoming increasingly desirable in today’s game. “I’m really specialised in evasion and footwork, especially position-specific footwork – individuals using their strengths to manipulate and beat defenders. A lot of the footage I sent over to Clermont was based on drills and scenarios I’d created to develop those skills.
“Another part of my role is bringing players back from injury. So once they are through a specific stage with the physios, I’ll take them from being functional and gradually increase the load and the strength and speed to the point where they are able to be reintegrated with the team.
“They understand that because it’s such an attritional season. You can’t just be looking to get the biggest men because collisions inevitably mean injury when you have got so many of them. What they want to focus on is, can they play a higher speed, higher tempo game, that will enable them to make more use of overlaps, one-v-one opportunities, and score more tries through repeat high-intensity efforts? Can they keep the intensity of the game constantly higher than what it’s being played at?”
Intensity is Robertson’s bread and butter. Sevens, you sense, is his great love. It was his haven when a pelvic problem came perilously close to ending his career and it gave him the perfect vehicle to continue bettering himself.
The Scotland Sevens is a much slicker, more prolific operation these days than the one he joined in 2012. They’re World Series title winners now; they’re developing young talents again. But back in 2015, the squad were delivering too little. Scotland had lost its leg on the Series and the union gave its players a double-dose of reality.
“We sat in the changing room and heard some pretty tough things being said to us. But if you look back on it, it was completely justified, although I wouldn’t have said that at the time. How could you justify sending a group of players around the world who weren’t developing youngsters and also weren’t winning things? Things had to change. It’s hard to say that but it obviously sparked a reaction. When your lifestyle is threatened and your backs are against the wall, you have to change.”
In came Calum ‘Kitty’ MacRae and his strength and conditioning lieutenant Nick Lumley and that change was rapid. The squad got a hell of a lot fitter and suffered very few injuries. Players were given individual areas to improve and held accountable to their progress, the team worked on their weaknesses together and fostered a sense of trust in one another.
Really excited about the challenge ahead! Huge thanks to the team @Redskymanagemnt for continuing to provide new opportunities post-playing… Anybody got any advice on how to learn French in 8 weeks?! https://t.co/hj3RgeJRDg
— Mark Robertson (@marky_robertson) May 1, 2019
It’s no coincidence that Edinburgh have become more robust and meaner since Richard Cockerill added both MacRae and Lumley to his staff. “I remember really clearly, Kitty asked us in a meeting, ‘How do you feel about criticism?’ Everybody was like, ‘Oh, I don’t think we’ll deal well with it, we’ll point the finger, everybody will go into their shells and it’ll be negative’,” said Robertson.
“That’s the first thing he wanted us all to be clear on. He is intense, but the reason why we criticise is to bring about a solution and to become better. By identifying that first of all, all of a sudden guys started buying into it. The biggest thing is the stress the World Series puts on you psychologically, which is still a taboo subject in sport and doesn’t get confronted enough.
“You have to be emotionally consistent, like the All Blacks. That’s huge. The amount of times that you will watch some teams lose and they will be so pissed off that you will see a massive reaction and they will beat one of the best teams. But they will go on such an emotional high that they can’t sustain that for the next game and they will lose to someone four or five places below them.
“With Kitty, which some people won’t like, we took the emotion out of it completely. If we won a game, we just didn’t get very excited about it. We didn’t really celebrate. We had a look at the game, switched off, mucked about in the changing rooms, then came back in for the next game.
“Same thing if you lost, you’d be critical, hold each other accountable to mistakes, and move on. And honestly, we conserved so much energy, and it meant you weren’t on that emotional rollercoaster – I hated that rollercoaster.”
The culture came and the success followed. The pinnacle? Two glorious, thunderous days at Twickenham when Scotland won the title in London in 2016 and then defended it a year later. How many Scots have won at RFU HQ? How many have revelled on that vast patch of grass with a trophy above their heads?
“To be able to experience what we experienced, winning a World Series title at Twickenham for the first time, was absolutely ridiculous,” Robertson said. “We were a group of players who had never been past a cup quarter-final before, who then won two World Series titles, got to three finals and another semi-final.
“You don’t go into sevens for the money. Generally, the guys at the top of the Scotland set-up will be on £35k. There are guys who are third and fourth in their position in a XVs team in Scotland who will be on double that. We were going in there to become the best in the world on a given day and we wanted to achieve something nobody else had.
“When you look at the most decorated Scottish internationalists, a lot of them have never won anything, which is harsh, but they have never beaten the best in the world, never won a tournament. We’re very, very proud we have actually won a couple of tournaments, beaten New Zealand, beaten England on a number of occasions, beaten Fiji and South Africa. But we have got a lot to thank Kitty and Lummers [MacRae and Lumley] for because they created that change in the programme with the same group of players.”
WATCH: Part three of The Academy, the RugbyPass documentary series on Leicester Tigers
Comments on RugbyPass
Good on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
21 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
21 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
21 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
21 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
21 Go to commentsSurprising how standing down or benching a player can do wonders for their motivation. Several players this week in that category.
2 Go to commentsHaha lads lads lads, that’s how you have a holiday In Majorca
4 Go to commentshit on Lynagh was defo late and card-worthy. The other 2 are bang on OK. Hurts you at Test level if youre timing is off and the nostrils are flared. Jerry C knew when to lean in on one, Finau just needs to keep his discipline and head straight.
7 Go to commentsSlade was exceptional against Gloucester. Not only was he doing the classic Slade stuff of running amazing lines and timing passes to perfection to put his wingers into space, he was kicking goals, flying off the line smashing people and crashing into rucks like a flanker… his hair even looked on point. 😍
1 Go to commentsThat’s really sad, hope everyone involved is ok. At least he had pants on.
4 Go to commentsTo be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
1 Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
7 Go to commentsCan we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
7 Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
3 Go to comments